Steamrolled
by ALC Punk
Summary: How the confrontation at Roper's should have gone. Jo


Disclaimer: Red Cap belongs to the BBC, Stormy Pictures, and someone else, I'm certain. No money is being made from this work of fiction, nor is any infringement of intellectual property intended. If you plan to sue, remember we can't even afford chocolate right now.

Notes: This... Well, it spoils stuff in episode six of season two (this means YOU, A.j.). It's an alternate ending to a certain shower scene.

Steamrolled by Lyss

Somehow, it had all gone wrong. Jo McDonagh had walked into her almost-lover's flat, and found his ex-wife in the shower. Saskia began speaking to her, but she wasn't listening. She'd tried to leave, but the woman had grabbed her once already. The words didn't matter, the ugly tone of them held a note of triumph, and she didn't want to hear them.

"I've got to go." Go. Leave. Get the fuck out of this flat before it all came crashing down. She couldn't think, couldn't see through to an answer. But one thing was certain: Roper couldn't have known Saskia was there. If he had, this had all been some sort of sick game. He wouldn't have agreed when she'd suggested meeting there. He couldn't have sounded eager if he'd known. So he hadn't. She would cling to that as a lifeline and get the hell out of here.

But Saskia Roper grabbed her arm again, giving it a slight shake as she continued her harangue. "Don't you--"

"No." Twisting her arm in the grasp, Jo slammed Saskia into the door, pinning her. "That is assault. I think you need to calm down. Maybe a night locked up in the stockade will make you see that he doesn't want you anymore."

"Oh, yes, and what will this do to your career?"

"It doesn't matter. You've assaulted an SIB officer." Gripping Saskia's arm, she propelled her out the door. "Down the stairs. Now."

"But--"

"Saskia? Jo?!" Roper stood below them on the steps, a disturbed look in his eyes. "What the hell is going on?"

"She's arresting me for assaulting her, Phil." Saskia's voice softened, edged towards tears. "You can't let her do this to me, can you?"

"What the hell are you doing here, Saskia?"

"Kenny Burns called me." She dragged herself away from Jo and whimpered, "He said we had a marriage worth fighting for, Phil. I had to come. For us. For the kids." Her tone was now pleading.

"It doesn't work like this." He came up to the landing and looked at her, then at Jo. "You can't arrest her."

"No?"

"No. Saskia." He caught the woman by her shoulders. "Listen to me. We are never going to get back together. Not for just the kids. I don't love you anymore. I'm sorry, but I don't. I haven't for a long time."

"You don't mean that, Phil, you can't. We--"

"Nothing. We are nothing anymore."

"But. The children..." Saskia began to cry softly, her accent deepening. "They love you. They want you back as their father."

"I am their father. But we can't be a family anymore. Not like we were."

"Saskia." Jo touched the other woman's shoulder, finally feeling something that wasn't a locked-down emotion. It might have been pity. "You asked me why I didn't fight. I won't fight for Roper, not the way you seem to think I should. But I would and will support his decisions. If he'd given me up for you, I would have let him go. You should have the courtesy to do the same."

"Courtesy," the woman spat, her tone suddenly venomous. "Courtesy is a word used by people who wish to hide their infidelities." She shook them off and strode back towards Roper's apartment. "I shall leave you two to destroy the sanctity of our marriage, Phil. But don't expect me to accept you when you come crawling back!"

The door slammed, the sound echoing unnaturally loudly in the stairwell.

Jo took in a breath, then released it slowly. "Well. Do you think we could have her committed?"

"If we're on the judging committee."

"Mmm."

Roper ran a hand through his hair, then made a face. "Look, Jo, I--"

"It's all right, Roper. I understand."

He looked sad, "I'll, um... see you tomorrow."

"Tomorrow, hell." A slight grin touched her lips. "How about the sergeant's mess? If, say," she leaned towards him, her eyes deepening in colour, "you can stoop that low."

"Oh." He replied, a grin echoing hers on his lips. "I can think of much better places than that."

Jo arched a brow, "Really?"

"Yeah." He bent towards her and kissed her gently. "Really."

"Mm. Good"  
-finis- 


End file.
